Docent-guided tours to debut at Grand Central Terminal

NEW YORK — The Municipal Art Society has formed a partnership with Metro-North Railroad to offer docent-guided tours of Grand Central Terminal.

Judy Rife

NEW YORK — The Municipal Art Society has formed a partnership with Metro-North Railroad to offer docent-guided tours of Grand Central Terminal.

The new tours, debuting in conjunction with Grand Central's 100th anniversary celebration, will be offered at 12:30 p.m. daily and will last about 75 minutes. The docent uses a radio microphone, and visitors wear earphones for perfect sound.

The tours, conducted only in English, are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors, students and children. With their inception, the Municipal Art Society, an advocacy organization dedicated to urban planning, design and preservation, has ended its free tours Wednesday.

Metro-North also offers audio tours on demand from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays and 7:30 p.m. weekends. The audio tours, given via headsets, can be adjusted for 30-minute and 60-minute versions in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French and Japanese. They cost $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for students and children.

The third tour option is a smart phone app that can be downloaded for $4.99.

The tours originate from the tour window on the main concourse. Additional details, as well as a schedule of 100th anniversary events, are posted at www.grandcentralterminal.com